Silence is complicity in crime as much is the calculated intent at mutating truth. The pain and agony of Kashmir held for long under state enforced wraps has slowly started to unfold and reveal itself. The silent cries of mothers whose sons vanished in the dead of night by state arms, the sobs of ‘half widows’ who don’t know if their husbands are dead or alive, taken without a trace by the uniform shall keep demanding answers. Stories from remote hamlets where eves of whole villages were stripped and despoiled by those proclaiming to ‘defend the state’ are refusing to die down. The hundreds of kids trampled by state jackboots before and after 2010 would shake any conscience to its roots, the unending epitaph-less mass graves earlier cloaked by the perpetuators stand now as markers of mayhem and genocide. But such colossal crimes would not have been committed and then camouflaged by the slaughterers unless with active support from other state and non-state organs and actors. So other than the executioners who killed these innocents and who raped the chastity of these women, who else are the alibi, the other murderers?

The power politician: Their primary aim is retention of power by any means, proxy of otherwise. More often than not these power politicians do not even acknowledge crimes committed against the commoners, unless these incidents are to be used to boost their PR. It takes a lot of din and state defying protests by the aggrieved to even get them blink any eye, wider social attention (and the rare media attention) will only get them to pay heed to this crime. But this limited PR heed is where the focus will stagnate; they may publicly announce some inquiry yet covertly and officially ensure that the inquiry is consigned to dust. For decades these power politicians have been sufficiently insulated from protesting mothers, ‘half widows’ and orphans who seek nothing but the whereabouts of their loved ones, erased by the state arms. The vision of these power politicians suffers from a convenient mix of astigmatism and Hypermetropia, pretending convenient vision limitations. What the common people here see, they pretend to see not. Visible mass graves across the landscape of this valley, attempted to be erased by the perpetuators, are held in sightlessness by these power politician. In fact the continuity of mayhem and conflict in these places is the key to their power retention. If conflict ceases, they cease. They are the primary alibi to these crimes.

Power ‘apparatus’ : Conflict has ensured that a censor cloak has been wrapped around the governance ‘apparatus’ of Kashmir, often in the guise of ‘national interest’. When any voice demanding accountability is tagged as ‘separatism’, the power admins are free to do whatever they wish, wherever and whenever. New Delhi has been seen promoting corruption in the state in order to keep its ‘apparatus’ in good humor. Such a policy not only ensures remote management of control strings but also buys loyalties in lieu of ‘I see not what you do but you do what I ask of you’. When corruption becomes a policy, Kashmir holding top slots as one of the most corrupt states in India should not surprise. (May also read this) In all cases justice has already been trampled and denied by the state, but in some cases justice is left to barter by this ‘apparatus’. Ex-gratia is offered in place of justice and silence is attempted to be purchased. In many cases graft is reportedly to have been sought even for this meager blood money, for this barter of justice (Read Basharat Peer’s book ‘Curfewed Nights’). In many cases traces of crime against humanity have been erased and this ‘apparatus’ is known to have exerted everything to manipulate and tamper leads to crime. Pathribal DNA fudging and Shopian rape and murder camouflage are just some examples where erasure was ensured. Ironically not only have these ‘apparatus’ arms survived such heinous acts, they have prospered because of having become perfect tools for the barrel state. Covert or overt support to such crimes (and the silence followed thereafter) becomes their complicity.

Indian Media: When it comes to reporting Kashmir, India media gets the ‘nationalistic’ jitters. Their impartiality gets blown away by the Banihal winds and all Kashmir stories subject to an overdose of ‘saving India’s image viz Kashmir’. Propaganda and hate fed talk shows where Er’Snobby anchors are either busy trumpeting their own ideas on force muted participants or anchors sporting ‘corpse white makeup’ are busy doing a ‘Farce the Nation’. In the odd rare shows that may take the Kashmir theme, you will find the same hate mongering panelists, a mix of right winged political aspirants crying ‘wolf wolf’ or self patting ‘axeperts’ who won’t know the K of topic. Then there are the ‘paanch thaana’ theory evangelists who write volumes of imaginative delusions about Kashmir in news papers, often making an extremist culprit of all of Kashmiri population and silently celebrating their monolithic agony. The truth of colossal crimes against humanity either totally ignored by the Indian media or marked in a silent ticker. Their culpability in crimes here is unending and deliberate.

The ‘Lie’beral’ crusader: Proclaiming to be a ‘Lie’beral”, proud verbal proponent of the ‘Tehzeeb’, you would be made to believe this is the real epitome of Indian intellect. But wait till you figure out the farce. They appear in vague print, parroting on social media (and that rare sidekicks on TV news channel chat shows), often tagging self as ‘progressive’. They have an opinion about everything, from describing how others should practice their religion (even when they may not practice it themselves) to what encompasses real nationalism but in reality they represent none of their improvised community. Portraying self as more nationalistic than anybody else, you had taken their word for it but for when you ask them about crimes against humanity in Kashmir, they will escape without a trace. In many such discussions I saw these ‘trumpeted notion’alists’ in absolute denial of the dead, raped, mutilated in Kashmir, and when proof was provided for, they would preach ‘forget the past’ theory. In one of such discussion a ‘Lie’beral’ lady was asked “If you were a Kunanposhpora victim would you too forget the past sans justice?” The ‘lie’beral’ lady never came back into the discussion forum again. As far I understand these ‘Lie’berals’ keep wearing the ‘nationalistic’ badge on their chests as an insurance for their survival in a polarized Indian society and in continuation of these efforts see Kashmir ‘hypothecated’ to their growth. (May read this also) These ‘lie’berals’ will preach Kashmir to integrate into oblivion while purposefully ignoring crimes against humanity here. Wanting to have Kashmir as a ‘real estate cake’ but deliberately ignoring the fate of common Kashmiri’s, they are a ‘progressive’ alibi in crime.

The conflict shops: Scores of ‘political shops’ have sprung up within and outside Kashmir trying to encash on this conflict and its misery. Some of them mushrooming in Rajbagh, Srinagar and elsewhere are disguised as ‘resolution seeking political outfits’ while some have already transited between Azadi, Achievable Nationhood and Elections. Other outfits and NGO’s mostly sitting comfortably outside the conflict zone, offer Kashmir solutions off the counter like fast food. At the other end of these ‘conflict shops’ are the 100’s organizations of the 1.2 lac displaced, nobody actually representing the ignored in them but everybody of the 100 groups ruddering own ‘political boat’. They may cry hoarse ‘wolf wolf’ in but in reality it’s the conflict continuity on which these ‘political shops’ sustain and most of them with covert help, at the cost of gullible suffering Kashmiri’s. If the conflict erases, they will be choked. Agony is just a statistic for them to be used for political statements; some of them are privileged enough for being poster boys of Delhi news channels while others have to hoarse out on local Page 3. All of them live by the conflict, and all of them alibi to the crimes in Kashmir. The only exception to this ‘political business’ is the grand old man of Hyderpora, standing tall and unfailing inspite of all the storms and winds.

Only those who suffered this conflict will understand the quantum of pain it has unleashed. Others will only ensure they stand insulated with families clearly out of the reach of this demonic war, but their own ‘career oriented’ actions providing enough alibi and ensuring continuation of this conflict to further their own selfish interests. Common people in Kashmir have just become fodder for this conflict industry, that has taken deep roots within and more often either as a state policy or as a result of the proxy war here. To end this war we will need to decimate the conflict business from its roots, ensure dispensation of Justice to the ‘conflict fodder’ both for the crimes committed against and of the political rights denied to them.

Till Justice is dispensed, the ‘Complicit in Crimes’ shall continue amassing their iniquities.